Grossman's sentence: 15 to life

CLOSING—Socialite and co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation Rebecca Grossman was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the murders of brothers Mark and Jacob Iskander, whom she ran over as they crossed Triunfo Canyon Road. Acorn File Photo

Nearly four years after Rebecca Grossman's Mercedes struck and killed two boys in a Westlake Village crosswalk, sparking a double-murder case that saw numerous delays and ended with a six-week trial, a judge sentenced the now-infamous Hidden Hills socialite to 15 years to life in prison.

The sentence, handed down during a hearing in Van Nuys Superior Court on June 10, was not as harsh as many hoped following a crime that took the lives of two young people, shattered the family of Mark and Jacob Iskander and hurt an entire community. . It nonetheless constitutes a measure of closure for legal proceedings that have tested the confidence of some observers in the impartial and timely functioning of the justice system.

More severe sentence requested

Prosecutors had sought the maximum sentence of 34 years to life, saying Grossman showed no remorse for drinking alcohol and racing with her then-boyfriend, Scott Erickson, early in fall evening in 2020, when his SUV struck the younger brothers as they crossed Triunfo Canyon Road with family members.

POWERFUL – Sheriff Iskander, Mark and Jacob's uncle, issued a heartbreaking statement saying Grossman lied in order to “get away with murder.” EAMON MURPHY/Acorn Newspapers

Grossman's defense argued for probation or a more limited prison sentence, citing a lack of criminal record and prior good deeds, as well as conduct that they said was at the level of lower end of the spectrum of implied malice murder.

Judge Joseph Brandolino said Grossman's “actions were reckless and undoubtedly grossly negligent” and that she had engaged in “dangerous” and “incredibly selfish” behavior.

“But he is not a monster, as the prosecution tries to describe him,” added the judge.

He said he could not ignore that she was 60 years old, had no criminal history and was “engaged in philanthropy and generous in her life.”

In addition to the sentences of 15 years to life for each count of second-degree murder, to be served concurrently, Brandolino gave Grossman three years for the hit-and-run charge, also concurrent.

Grossman could appear before a parole board in seven to 10 years, subject to good behavior, Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Gould said after the hearing.

Brandolino told a packed courtroom that it was unreasonable in this case to expect a sentence of 34 years to life, similar to punishments given to defendants who intentionally killed others.

The longer sentence was exactly what family members and friends of the young victims had asked for in more than a dozen grief-filled statements, culminating with impassioned remarks from their mother, Nancy Iskander. On the fateful evening, facing a stampede of two high-speed SUVs, Iskander grabbed his youngest son, Zachary, and dove out of the path of the first vehicle, driven by former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, Erickson.

Emotional statements

Mark and Jacob's young friends, their teachers and pastor, and neighboring parents described the boys in glowing terms and mourned the future that had been taken from them, and the contributions they would not be able to make to society. lives of others. Several speakers pointed out that Mark, 11, and Jacob, 8, were separate individuals and should not be treated as one when it comes to punishment for their murders.

Community members not only praised the boys' impact on their own family's lives, but also described the aftermath of their shocking departure.

Next-door neighbor Martin White, whose daughters formed a COVID bubble with Mark and Jacob, said the hardest thing he ever had to do was tell his children “no not one, but two of their best friends had been killed.”

Chamie Delkeskamp, ​​pastor of Ascension Lutheran School for Boys in Thousand Oaks, said some students are now afraid to use crosswalks.

“Every time they see a white SUV with a grille, it brings back those memories,” the pastor said. “This entire community is grieving, and these kids will grieve for the rest of their lives,” Delkeskamp said.

Nancy Iskander's mother, Joyce Ghobrial, said she, too, would spend the rest of her life in mourning. She remembers a time when Mark, noticing that she was getting older, asked her not to leave him, saying that they couldn't live without her.

“And now he’s in his grave and I’m living,” Ghobrial said, “because of someone who just wanted to run away.”

Mother speaks

Nancy Iskander said Mark, a “protector of the family,” wanted to be “a neurosurgeon in the morning and a comedian in the evening.” His favorite thing to say to his little sister Violet was, “I promise to spoil you,” while Jacob told people, “Don't bother her.”

Iskander recalled the night of the collisions in harrowing detail, describing how 5-year-old Zachary heard a deputy tell him Mark was dead and how he saw Jacob receiving CPR.

At the hospital, where Jacob was taken off life support, Iskander came face to face with Grossman, she said.

“She looked me in the eyes,” Iskander recalls, but “she didn’t say, ‘I’m sorry’.”

“You were there, you looked me in the eyes, you knew they were dying,” Iskander told Grossman.

When Grossman addressed the court, Iskander got up to leave before the defendant begged her to stay.

“All I ever wanted to do was tell you how sorry I am,” Grossman said, saying she wrote numerous letters but was told by prosecutors and her own lawyers not to not make contact.

“I believe that God is here in this room with us right now, and I believe that he knows the truth, and he knows that if I had seen anyone, I would have sunk into any place, into a brick wall, anything,” Grossman said. tense voice.

Grossman denied fleeing the scene, describing herself as “just a passenger” in her car once the engine stopped following the collisions.

But Sherif Iskander, the boys' uncle, told the court: “If she had stopped, when she knew she had killed two boys, from coming to help them, it would have made a big difference to our family.” Throughout the process, she is self-centered, entitled and lying, both to the police and the prosecutors, just trying to get away with murder.”

The defense team played a half-hour video montage of testimony supporting Grossman's character and her charitable works, including as co-founder with her husband Peter Grossman of the Grossman Burn Foundation. Grossman's children also spoke on his behalf, asking the judge not to send him to prison.

Prosecutors Ryan Gould and Jamie Castro said they were “disappointed” with Brandolino’s decision.

“We do not believe the judge imposed an appropriate sentence in light of everything Ms. Grossman has done and continues to do,” Gould said. The prosecution accused Grossman of defying court orders and attempting to tamper with witnesses since his imprisonment.

But Gould expressed satisfaction that justice had finally been served, as well as his hope that the Iskander family can now begin to move forward.